A Poet To His Beloved
by Kyizi
Summary: 5 wrestlers are stranded together, what happens when there's a fine line between love and friendship? (Edge/Lita ?, Jeff/Lita implied, Chris/Steph established)


A Poet to His Beloved

By Kyizi

Disclaimer: These characters belong to the WWFE, Title belongs to WB Yeats, I's only playin'

Rating: PG-13

E-mail:

Category: WWF

Distribution: If you want, ask, I'll likely say yes

Spoilers: None

Summary: This is the reply to a challenge from Karen U -

(Challenge 3) A story where a group of five wrestlers get stranded/stuck somewhere or are on a road trip together... (a) Jeff, Lita, Edge, Jericho, and Steph

Notes: Sorry I took so long to reply to the challenge Karen!

xxxxx

"Okay, my life officially sucks."

"Much like your in ring ability."

"Shut it, jerky."

"Shut it both of you!" Lita groaned and rubbed at her temples. Things were progressively going from bad to worse and she wasn't in a good mood. Baby sitting for a couple of hyperactive wrestlers with an incredible ability to act like five year olds, wasn't really her idea of a good time.

Stretching her arms, she lulled her head from side to side, hoping that the simple movement may help to ease some of the tension in her body. It helped, but only marginally. She was in hell.

"Hey, Li!"

"What?" she snapped, almost instantly regretting it at the shocked look on Jeff's face. "Sorry, what is it?"

" 's okay. I just wanted to know if y'all were ready to move again."

"Yeah, give me a minute." She sighed and rubbed her eyes, still feeling bad about shouting at Jeff. She loved the boy like a brother, but there were times that she felt she could lock him in a room and throw away the key…which, she guessed still fell under the 'loving like a brother' analogy.

Feeling a shadow block out what little light was left of the day, she looked up and smiled, taking the offered hand. Edge pulled her into his embrace and leaned his chin on her head.

"You okay?" she felt his voice echo through her body and tightened her arms around him slightly. Her feeling for this man were anything but brotherly, not that she could ever tell him that.

"I'll be fine." She replied, smiling. Lita pulled back and looked up at him, preparing to head back up the road, but he didn't let go of her arms. Her breath caught in her throat as time seemed to still. It felt like she was living in some kind of twilight, everything around her was moving slowly, he was moving slowly towards her.

"Hey! You two coming?"

Lita jerked and she felt his hands leave her arms making her feel colder than she knew she was. Edge cleared his throat and smiled at her, raising his eyebrows. With a nod of his head, he indicated the road, waiting for her to follow. She smiled a little and followed him. She was going to kill Steph.

xxxxx

"You know, princess, the next time you decide to have a road trip and offer to drive us to the next state, remind me to knock myself unconscious next time."

"Next time I offer, I might do that myself to give us some peace and quiet on the trip."

"Bitch."

"Asshole."

"Tramp."

"Wanker."

"You dirty, disgusting…eh, I love you?" Chris cleared his throat and put his arm around a glaring Steph. She had stopped walking but after a few pitiful looks from him, she sighed and started to walk again, leaning on him a little. "Wanker?" he asked.

"William Regal used it a lot to describe you."

"Oh he did, did he?"

Steph smiled, "Yeah, but he also said something about American's not being allowed to use it."

"What about Canadian's?" 

"Same. Something about us sounding silly when we tried."

"Well no change there where you're concerned, hon-ouch!"

xxxxx

Jeff groaned and rolled his head from side to side. This hadn't exactly been what he'd had in mind for a trip to the next arena. Being stuck in a car with a couple who argued non-stop and a couple who wouldn't admit they even liked each other wasn't exactly his idea of a great time. Not only did he feel like the piggy in the middle, he wanted nothing more than to gag Chris and Steph and to knock Edge and Lita's heads together. Or lock them in a room together until they admitted they were in love…not a bad idea actually, except that it would help if they had a room. In fact, it would help if they had shelter full stop. He just wasn't sure how much longer he could take them looking at each other like they did. At least if they admitted it, they might do it in private.

Looking up at the darkening sky, knowing that rain was coming, he wondered again why he was there. Damn those eyes of Lita's. They could do what ever she wanted them to, meaning that she could get Jeff to do whatever she wanted him to. He knew that she would have felt awkward being alone in the car with Edge when Steph and Chris were a couple, and when she had given him those puppy dog eyes of hers, he'd been unable to refuse her.

Her eyes could speak a thousand things if you knew how to read them, and Jeff knew. There was only one look those eyes had never given him. And it was the only look he'd ever wanted to see from them. But that look was reserved for Edge. Only the stupid git didn't seem to know what it was saying to him, and just how lucky he was that Lita didn't see him as a brother.

xxxxx

"I think I see a light ahead."

"Where?"

"What?" Edge raised his eyebrows, "No smart ass comment?"

"Much as I'd love to," Chris smirked, "and believe me they're itchin' to come out, I think the Missus would kill me."

"The missus? Somethin' y'all 'r not tellin' us?" Jeff asked joining them in a line.

"Trust me, Hardy, if I was proposing, you would not be here."

"Excuse me. I am here, you know!" Steph said, elbowing Chris in the ribs. "If anyone's talking about proposing to me, it should be when I'm not here!"

"Sorry, princess, I'll make sure you're not here in future." Chris smiled, putting his arm around his girlfriend.

"You plan to talk about it in the future?"

At the quietness and uncertainty in her voice, Chris stopped walking and looked at her. She was staring at him wide eyed and he felt his heart skip a beat. Turning to the others he shook his head in the direction of the light and the others seemed to understand.

As their friends moved on ahead, Chris placed his hands on Steph's arms and pulled her over to the side of the road, sitting her on the small stone wall that surrounded part of the field to their right. She looked at the ground, her arms crossed protectively over her chest.

"Steph, you planning on telling me what this is all about?"

She shrugged and he sighed. Kneeling on the ground in front of her, he tilted her chin so that she was looking down at him.

"Steph?"

She sighed, "It's-it's nothing."

"It's not nothing, princess, it's something. Now tell me."

"I-It's just that, well, we never talk about the future. You-You've always had you're life planned out before you, so have I. But, now? Well, now I'm in your life and you're in mine and what happens now?"

"What happens now, Steph, is that we live for the moment. Plans are meant to change. I know that you probably have a chart somewhere at home that you made when you were about five that had your entire life mapped out on it…"

"Hey!" she swiped at him then frowned, "I was at least ten when I made that chart." Chris laughed and after a few moments, she let out a giggle as well. Reaching up, he cupped her face and gently traced her cheek with his thumb.

"Steph, as much as you want to, you can't map out the future. I know you believe in destiny, and in a way I do too, but only in the sense that I know I was destined to meet you. I don't believe that what's going to happen between us is set out in stone. You can't chart life, Steph, you can't control it. It isn't meant to be caged or held down. Let it do what it wants with us and try to be happy with that. And as for marriage…"

"Chris I know you're not ready for that…"

"…and neither are you."

"I know. I just wanted to know, when you said about the future…"

"Yes."

She frowned and leaned into his hand a little, "Yes, what?"

He smiled and leaned up to capture her lips, "Yes, I think I'll propose to you one day. Maybe some day soon, but I know we're not ready yet."

"Chris, I…" she faltered and closed her eyes.

"I love you, too Steph."

"I know you do. But you never let me say it to you, why?"

Chris looked away for a moment then placed his other hand on her face as well, framing her cheeks. He looked into her eyes and leaned his forehead against hers.

"Because you never seem ready to. And if you don't mean it with all your heart, then I don't want to hear it.

"You're right, I wasn't ready, but I am now. Chris I love you, and I always have. I was in love with you the first moment I saw you. I-I was just too scared to say it before now."

"I know. I know that you like to have everything planned before hand, I know that saying it changes things, it makes your life unpredictable…"

"And maybe it's time that happened." Leaning towards him, she kissed him tenderly, catching her breath when the kiss intensified. After a few moments, she pulled away, breathless. "We-we should catch up with the others."

"Yeah, we shouldn't have left Jeff alone with those two." Steph nodded her head in sympathy and then looked back up at him. He leaned in to kiss her one last time before standing up, pulling her with him. "Come on, let's go…"

"What's that?"

xxxxx

Edge glanced at her again, turning away sharply when his eyes met hers. He smiled in spite of himself and turned to look at her again. She was grinning at him. She turned away.

He loved playing these games with her. He loved her. If only he could tell her. He knew how she felt, and that almost made whatever small part of willpower he had left leave him completely, but he couldn't. He couldn't do that, he wouldn't do that to Jeff.

Sighing, he looked over at the, currently, red haired man. Jeff was staring straight ahead, the light seemingly the focus of his gaze, but Edge knew otherwise, Edge knew that what he was really looking at was Lita. What he was really looking at was this vision of the woman he loved that he kept locked in his head, this vision that was his alone and couldn't be touched by anyone else. He knew that because he had one of those Lita visions himself.

He remembered what it was like to know that Lita didn't love him. To know in his heart that she loved another man. He'd felt the same way when he thought that Lita had loved Jeff back. The youngest Hardy had little idea that most of the roster knew how he felt for the redhead, had known for a long time. The only person who really seemed unaware of those feelings was Lita herself. Vince McMahon had even approached Jeff privately when the creative staff had wanted to put Matt and Lita together on the show, making sure that the younger Hardy hadn't had a problem with it.

Edge knew all of this through Matt. His best friend had come to him with all his worries about the new angle, not liking one little bit that he had to pretend to be in love with the woman that his kid brother and his best friend were both in love with. Edge hadn't even realised that Matt knew he had feelings for Lita until that night. Matt had been prepared to go to McMahon and ask him to make the angle Jeff's until Edge had talked him out of it. He imagined how he would have felt if it had been him. Having Lita 'pretend' to be in love with him on the show, then going back stage knowing that it wasn't real. He couldn't live with it, and he doubted that Jeff could have either.

A small squeal brought him back to the present with a jerk and he quickly reached out and grabbed Lita's arm before she hit the ground. Unfortunately, Lita's fall had given her more momentum than he had anticipated and instead of stopping her fall, he only succeeded in turning her to fall on her back with him landing on top of her.

Lita grunted when he landed and he pulled himself up as soon as he could, although not without difficulty as Lita's infectious laugh rang out around him. Pulling himself up to rest on his hands, he continued to laugh until he realised that she was staring into his eyes, and suddenly it didn't seem so funny anymore.

He remembered the first time he had seem her after he found out that she reciprocated his feelings. All he had been able to do was stare into her eyes, drowning in her gaze until someone around him had broken up the moment. He had almost told her them, almost said the three words that had been clawing to get out of him for so long a time. Almost, but then he had remembered the look he had seen on Jeff's face when he had looked into that mirror.

He had been walking down the hall on his way back to his dressing room when he had heard her voice. It was quiet and sad, but he knew that voice anywhere. He hadn't been able to stop himself from creeping over to the doorway and staring through the gap. He watched the entire scene through a mirror, unable to take his eyes off her. He still remembered her tears at thinking that he didn't love her, he remembered the look in her eyes when she confessed her feelings about him…to Jeff. Of all the people she had chosen, it was, of course, the man she considered her best friend, the man who reminded her so much of the younger brother she had lost as a teenager, the man who was so in love with her it almost made Edge wish that Lita loved him back.

Shaking away his thoughts, he stared into her eyes, noting the questioning look she was now giving him. He leaned towards her and stopped. All he could see was the pain in Jeff's gaze through that mirror, and once again, he pulled away.

"Guys, I think you might want to see this."

On hearing Jeff's voice, they both scrambled to their feet, putting a little distance between them, but Edge couldn't help noting the small glances full of confusion that she was sending his way. She was going to confront him about it, he knew her well enough to know that look. The pretending was over.

It was with that realisation that he heard the noise. Turning to look at the road, he followed Jeff's gaze and spotted the lights moving towards them. A truck. There was actually something on this road besides them.

As the truck moved toward them, he spotted someone waving at them from the open roofed vehicle and he squinted to get a better look, "Is that Steph?"

xxxxx

Stephanie dried her face and placed the towel back on the rack. Looking at herself in the mirror she shook her head at the permanent grin that had taken residence on her face since she had said those words. She had finally told Chris that she loved him. She had finally told him.

Her grin widened and she closed her eyes, biting back the squeal she wanted to set free. She jumped as a pair of arms banded round her waist and the squeal slipped out. Turning around in his hold, she smacked Chris on the arm as he laughed at her.

"Hey, princess," he kissed the tip of her nose.

"Don't you think that you can sweet talk me into…"

He cut her off with a kiss and pulled her flush against him. After a few moments he pulled back, "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"I was saying?" she whispered, her eyes still closed.

"You were," he replied with a smile.

"I forget." She leaned in for another kiss and felt herself pushed backwards against the sink as the passion increased.

"Hey guys, you think I could get in there?"

"Piss off, Hardy, we're busy."

"Yeah, I think the house 3 miles down the road can hear that, think you could take it into the bedroom and give our bladders a break?"

Steph hid her face in Chris' shirt as Chris growled softly in frustration. She laughed and pulled away, "Come one, sweetie, lets give Jeff a break. Besides, I can think of somewhere a lot more comfortable than this."

"Second thoughts, Hardy, the bathroom's yours."

xxxxx

Lita looked around the small cottage they were in, a small edge of terror working its way through her. The farmer's husband had taken them straight to the cottage after the young woman had shouted something about checking on her horses before disappearing. They were in luck that no one was currently renting the small house, a week later and they would have been sleeping in the barn, the farmer had joked in her thick southern accent.

Her husband, Andrew, had taken them on a small tour of the cottage before handing them the key and disappearing. There were only two bedrooms. That was her first reason to panic, made worse by the fact that Chris and Steph had already taken one room. The second reason was that Jeff had said he was taking the couch. That left her and Edge to share the small room she was now standing it. It had two single beds, but that didn't make her feel all that much better.

"Eh, I guess we're sharing then."

She spun around to stare at him. He was standing in the doorway gazing at her uncertainly, a small smile on his face. The adorable look on his face made her smile and she relaxed almost instantly.

"Well, are you plannin' on standing in the doorway all night, or are ya gonna come in?"

He chuckled a little and moved into the room, closing the door over as he entered. Lita found her third reason to panic.

"So," he said, moving toward her, "Which bed do you want?"

"Well, that depends on you." At the look on his face her eyes widened and she stuttered, "I-I mean, I meant, I meant that if you wanted one, then I'd take the other. I didn't mean…"

"Lita," he laughed, "I knew what you meant."

"Oh."

He smiled at her as she closed her eyes and shook her head. Still laughing a little to himself, he moved towards one of the beds before her voice stopped him.

"Why didn't you kiss me?"

"What?" He had known that she wasn't going to let what happened, or in fact, hadn't happened today rest, but that was the last thing he had expected her to say. It was also the last thing Lita had planned to say and she cursed herself instantly, but refused to let the subject drop.

"I mean, why do you keep pulling away from me. I used to think it was 'cause you didn't feel the same for me as I do for you…but now I'm not so sure." She stepped towards him, so close that she almost reached out to hold him, but she stopped herself. "I saw through it Edge, I saw it in your eyes. It felt like you wanted me." Realising the double meaning to her words she smirked, "In more ways than one."

Raising his eyes at her daring, he smirked, "Is that so?" he asked, cursing his body for every reaction she caused in him.

"Yes." She said sincerely and he stopped smiling. He wanted her, and what was worse, she knew. Edge sighed and pulled away, sitting on one of the beds, leaving her confused.

"What is it Edge, why won't you love me?"

"I do. That's the problem." She turned away from him, tears welling in her eyes as he continued. "I don't mean that the way it sounds, Lita."

"What other meaning is there?"

"There's the meaning that says I want you so much I can hardly breathe when you're near me. The meaning that says I love you more than I ever thought possible, that I love everything about you. The way you bite your lower lip, the way you laugh, the way your eyes sparkle when you look at me, the look that's only for me, the meaning that says all that and more, but I can't let myself do anything about it."

She had no idea how it had happened but she was standing barely a few inches apart from him, breathing heavily as he held her arms. With every word he had said, she felt herself open up to him and she didn't want to close that door again. Not letting him think about it for a moment longer, she kissed him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair, holding him so close that he couldn't do anything but kiss her back, he didn't want to.

Before either of them realised it, they were on one of the beds, pulling at each other's clothes, not breaking the kiss for one moment. She felt like she was on fire, like every part of her body was his to worship as he wanted, and he left his body for her to do the same.

xxxxx

Jeff turned away from the house, not quite sure where he was going, only knowing that he had to get away. Cursing himself for doing so he turned back to the small house, looking at the window as the light went out and, brushing away a tear, he headed toward the trees.

xxxxx

He couldn't believe it had happened, he couldn't believe she was lying in his arms staring up at him with that sparkle in her eyes. Smiling in spite of his thoughts, he leaned down to kiss her, any thoughts of keeping his resolve long gone.

"Edge," she said softly as she pulled away, "you never told me why you stopped yourself from loving me."

"I could never stop myself from loving you, Lita, I only stopped myself from acting on it."

"But why?"

He turned away from her gaze, "I'm not sure it's my place to say."

She shifted her position so that she was leaning on her elbow, her head level with his on the pillow, "Edge, please don't keep this from me. If it stopped you from telling me for as log as you say it did, then it's important."

He sighed and turned to face her again, "Jeff."

"What about him." She asked frowning.

"Jeff is the reason I never told you I loved you."

xxxxx

"Hey,"

Jeff turned around, frowning as Lita sat next to him on the fence. "Hey," he replied, still confused at her being here with him. There was no question as to what her and Edge had been up to and the fact that she was wearing his shirt only succeeded in killing his dreams further.

"So,"

"So," he cleared his throat and turned to look at the sky again, not sure why he couldn't think of anything to say to her.

"Jeff, Edge told me."

"Told you what."

"Please, Jeff."

The tone of her voice pulled at his heart and he turned to face her, the tears running down her face. He couldn't help himself, he reached out and cupped her face, brushing the water away. She tried to smile as she leaned into his touch, but he could tell she was trying not to cry further. He wished that he could focus on how beautiful she always looked in the moonlight, but all he could see was the light reflecting off the tears on her face. The tears he had caused.

He was an intelligent enough man to realise that Edge knew how he felt about Lita. He knew that he was the reason the man had stopped himself from telling Lita he loved her and Jeff knew that he was probably a bad friend for letting it happen. He knew how much Lita had been hurting over her feelings for Edge, and he had tried to tell her, tried to let himself tell Edge just to go for it. But he couldn't. As much as he loved Lita, he hadn't been strong enough to let her go…until now.

"Jeff, Edge said…I mean," she faltered. Looking into her eyes he watched as she took a deep breath and smiled sadly at him. "Jeff, are you-are you in love with me?"

Jeff sighed and looked towards the sky, hoping to find some courage in the stars. He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, "_Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck_," he murmured. Glancing at her out of the corner of his eyes, he saw her watching him and focused instead on the stars.

"Jeff?"

"_I bring you with reverent hands_

The books of my numberless dreams,

White woman that passion has worn

As the tide wears the dove-grey sands,

And with heart more old than the horn

That is brimmed from the pale fire of time:

White woman with numberless dreams,

I bring you my passionate rhyme."

"That's beautiful, did you write it?"

He chuckled in spite of his mood, "No, Li, I didn't write it." Jeff closed his eyes and smiled sadly, "Does he make you happy, Li?"

"Yes." She whispered, almost afraid to say it, even to herself.

"Then why are you sitting here with me? Go. Be with him."

Lita smiled and dropped to the ground behind him. She placed a hand on the small of his back and whispered, "Goodnight, Jeff." She turned and began to walk to the house. As she reached the gate, she hesitated and turned back to him. "You never answered my question."

After a pause she heard him whisper, "You didn't hear the answer."

She stood at the door unable to move. Part of her wanted to ask again, to demand that he tell her straight out, but she wouldn't, she couldn't. She wasn't even sure she wanted to know. She wanted nothing more than to walk across the grass and take her best friend into her arms and hold him, but right now she felt that she was the last person he wanted to be with. So with a quiet, "Goodnight Jeff," she opened the gate and walked back to the house, back to Edge.

Lita couldn't have been further from the truth, in fact she was the only person he wanted in his arms at that moment. But he had told her to go back to Edge, back to the man she loved. He felt his heart cracking and he closed his eyes as tears started to run down his cheeks.

"Yes Lita," he whispered hoarsely to the night, "I'm in love with you." Turning to the stars he made a wish on any of them, on all of them. He wanted to feel love. He wanted to be in love with someone that would love him back. And as much as he wished he were wrong, he knew that someone wasn't Lita.

Choosing the star that seemed to be hiding, the star that he knew was, at that moment, his, he wished one last time for love. Shaking his head and wiping his cheeks, he stood and walked back to the house, not realising that a few seconds earlier a woman he knew had woken from her sleep and stared at that same star whispering his name.

xxxxx

THE END

This finished a lot different that I had planned. For a start Jeff wasn't meant to be in love with Lita, that just happened! Anyway, hope you enjoyed.

Feedback is always welcomed :)

**The SEQUEL is called "He Wishes For The Cloths Of Heaven" and can also be found here.**

_"Not from the stars do I my judgement pluck;"  
_is the opening line from Sonnet 14 by William Shakespeare

The poem Jeff recited was "A Poet To His Beloved" by WB Yeats - I used the site to find it, so thanks for existing! ;)


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